Although Jisoo Kim arrived in Seattle only three months ago, she said she already feels right at home.
“I feel like this is the new perfect academic home for me,” she said. “To focus on what I want to as a political communication scholar.”
Kim joined the Department of Communication as an Assistant Professor in September after finishing her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a political communication scholar who studies how communication environments shape democracy. She will teach classes on the role of communication technology in politics and the social effects of mass communication.
Dr. Christine Harold, who serves as the Chair of the Communication Department, said she is thrilled about the research focus Kim brings to UW.
“The research talk she gave during her two day interview process wowed me,” Harold said. “She described two studies she conducted to better understand why Americans tend to think they’re more politically polarized than they actually are. These studies—one looking at immigration discourse during Donald Trump’s first term and one about the ways polarization is exaggerated in domestic and foreign policy coverage—demonstrated how both mediated and interpersonal communication shape our perceptions of politics.”
Kim, who is an expert on political discourse and multimedia industries, began her career in South Korea, where she was born and raised. Before launching her career as a researcher, she was a student at Sogang University, majoring in communication, and then completed her master’s degree in communication studies at Seoul National University in 2019.
Kim also spent time studying abroad at Boston College, where she studied theoretical drama and communication.
During her time in Boston, Kim said that she saw herself through a new lens as she experienced culture shock for the first time, a perspective she took into her communication research.
“When I was an undergrad student, I wasn’t really expecting that I would have this kind of academic life,” she said. “I started to search for some kind of potential as a communication student, including actually being a scriptwriter for TV drama series.”
For Kim, storytelling has always been a passion. So much so that she once dabbled in theater.
“I played as an actress for a theatrical play, and then I also once worked as a director,” she said. “I got to put on a show on-stage at the university, and I really loved it. But it was really about making the story.”
Kim is still processing the move from Wisconsin just over two months ago, as she takes the next steps in her career trajectory.
“A few months ago, I was a grad student who was working on my dissertation,” she said. “Now I am an independent instructor at a new university.”
Political communication scholar and Associate Vice Provost for Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Patricia Moy believes Kim will excel at UW.
“Dr. Kim’s research examines communication processes and effects that inform some of today’s most pressing issues,” she said. “Her work reflects not only theoretical depth but also a keen understanding of how we come to engage with the world around us.”
“And in an age of social media, this type of work is truly invaluable.”
Kim says she feels adjusted to the new city, but not to her situation of finally being a professor.
“I am just finding a new way and a new rhythm of my life here on this campus,” she said.
Her expertise on political communication and divisiveness will now be integrated into the UW communication curriculum in all of her classes. She will teach COM 343 Effects of Mass Communication and COM 407 Communication Technology and Politics this year.
Learn more about Dr. Kim’s work on her faculty page.
By Tony Chen
